IT has gotten more intense with each labor, but more welcoming. If that makes any sense?? But I am one of those weird crazy people that love labor and delivery.
What I hate is the suturing afterwards. I have had bigger babies with large heads(14.5"-15"), that I have torn every time. I would gladly push out ten babies than be stitched up. I HATE that part.

I really hate how out of control I am in labor. Its so hard to keep it together! When I was pushing I made noises I don't think I could recreate, I sounded like some huge bear giving birth to an elephant.

__________________Mae- Mama to Gustavo 10/07, Joey 12/10 and Henry 5/13
“No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.” ― John F. Kennedy

After having my third baby in May, I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm a loud birth-er. Since I'd already given birth twice before I thought I could be much more zen about it this time, wanted to catch the baby myself, etc. but no, when it was time to push I was just as loud and intense as ever, making huge guttural noises and squeezing my hubby's hands like crazy. After her head was out my midwife said, "here comes her body, do you want to catch her?" and I tried, but I couldn't let go of my grip, so I just gasped out, "you do it!" haha So yes, it's intense and loud over here too.

__________________
Wife to the love of my life, and Mama to four precious little ones and a baby coming in October!

IT has gotten more intense with each labor, but more welcoming. If that makes any sense?? But I am one of those weird crazy people that love labor and delivery.
What I hate is the suturing afterwards. I have had bigger babies with large heads(14.5"-15"), that I have torn every time. I would gladly push out ten babies than be stitched up. I HATE that part.

After having my third baby in May, I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm a loud birth-er. Since I'd already given birth twice before I thought I could be much more zen about it this time, wanted to catch the baby myself, etc. but no, when it was time to push I was just as loud and intense as ever, making huge guttural noises and squeezing my hubby's hands like crazy. After her head was out my midwife said, "here comes her body, do you want to catch her?" and I tried, but I couldn't let go of my grip, so I just gasped out, "you do it!" haha So yes, it's intense and loud over here too.

That's exactly how I would describe it. But I prefer to think of it as the sound of a woman on her high harvest day. Like it says on the painting at my midwife's office. LOL!

ETA:
I found the poem it's from, no mention of the grunting, but still nice-

Being born is important
You who have stood at the bedposts
and seen a mother on her high harvest day,
the day of the most golden of harvest moons for her.

You who have seen the new wet child
dried behind the ears,
swaddled in soft fresh garments,
pursing its lips and sending a groping mouth
toward nipples where white milk is ready.

You who have seen this love's payday
of wild toiling and sweet agonizing.

You know being born is important.
You know that nothing else was ever so important to you.
You understand that the payday of love is so old,
So involved, so traced with circles of the moon,
so cunning with the secrets of the salts of the blood.

It must be older than the moon, older than salt.

~Carl Sandburg

__________________Mae- Mama to Gustavo 10/07, Joey 12/10 and Henry 5/13
“No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.” ― John F. Kennedy

I have this issue as well. I do not know how women birth so quietly. I sound like a dog howling at the moon or something when pushing comes. LOL. I also cannot stop it. I don't know how anyone can "breathe through it" ... I have been told to do that each time and it shocks me each time. I can never, ever stop pushing. I have absolutely no control, and it always amazes me just how strong and intense my body can act with absolutely no willful, conscious effort on my part. It feels like a freight train is coming roaring out of my vagina. Breathe through it? Are you INSANE?! At my last birth, when pushing stage came, I just pitifully looked up at my midwife and said in this tiny, sheepish voice, "please help me!"

One moment, I'm quietly breathing, whimpering, and the next I'm howling and growling and grinding my teeth and panting like a dog, ready to rip you apart if you touch me.

First 2 births with epi, third without. Pushing was so much EASIER and FASTER without the epi. Maybe it was because he was my third, but it took 2 pushes and he was out....as opposed to my others where I had no urge to push and it took forever, and one was vaccuum extracted.

Yes I just had #3 two weeks ago and I was not prepared for my body to take over like that. I was pretty much quiet for my first two births besides some low grunting during pushing. But this time I was letting out these primal screams and I was going crazy when my body just sort of shot him out in two pushes. I hesitate to even call them pushes because it's not like I was pushing, my body was just going and I had no choice.

I'm with you OP, my pushing stage was way more crazy than I ever expected. My babe was in distress and the OB (the midwives had to call him because the heart rate dropped too low) wanted to do an emergency c-section, so I had literally minutes to push babe out. I ended up pushing 3 times for every contraction, it was very intense. Even through transition I was pretty peaceful, but I'm told people on the other end of the hall were cringing at my screams/growls during pushing. lol. But I got him out just as the OB tried to wheel my bed away into the operating room!